Roommates, teammates and friends is the perfect way to describe the relationship of Damaris Linker (Eastland) and Christine Williams (Stockton), two former NUIC rivals who finished their NCAA Division II volleyball careers at Quincy University this year.

Damaris Linker

Linker was one of the best Quincy defensive players of all time, finishing with 1,094 digs, fifth in school history.

“I loved playing libero and being aggressive in the back row,” Linker said. “I really enjoyed being able to start the defense.”

She also finished her career with 176 assists and 79 service aces. In her final year, Linker had 342 digs, 67 assists, 34 service aces and four kills in 29 matches. During her career, Quincy posted a record of 43-71, including 21-43 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Quincy was one game over .500 during her junior season at 15-14.

“The first two years were very tough,” Linker said. “My junior season was pretty good. We started winning some matches, and I believe we started getting some respect, both overall and within the GLVC. We started beating some teams and competing with the top-level teams in our league.”

She was a captain during three of her four years. For her play on the volleyball court, she was given the QU Hawk Award and the St. Clare Award.

The Hawk Award is given to an athlete who not only emphasizes team play, but also is the team’s most well-rounded player. She won that honor as a sophomore.

The St. Clare Award is given to an athlete that demonstrates the Franciscan Values of Quincy. She won that as a senior. Linker was also named to the Northwest Missouri State University Invitational All-Tournament Team in 2009.

The daughter of Doug and Jeanette Linker, of Lanark, earned degrees in accounting and finance. She is currently working for PricewaterhouseCoopers in assurance.

Linker was selected to the Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Academic Team all four years. She graduated with a 3.65 grade point average and made the dean’s list during six semesters.

“My teammates were a special group of women,” Linker said. “This is one of the few times I have heard that every incoming freshman stayed until they finished. No one quit or transferred schools. No one left the team. That says it all.”

Christine Williams

Williams made an immediate impact when she joined Quincy’s volleyball team. As a freshman, the 5-foot-10 outside hitter finished with 243 kills.

“My freshman year was a great year for me,” Williams said. “It may have been my best year as far as stats.”

It was far from her only strong year. Williams, who played all the way around during her first two years, contributed heavily in several areas. She finished her career with 643 kills after posting 150 kills in three of her four years on the court.

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Quincy went from winning six conference games, against 22 losses, in her first two years, to winning 15 Great Lakes Valley Conference games during her final two seasons.

“It was great to be part of an improving team,” Williams said. “We were so much better than we were during my freshman and sophomore seasons.”

Williams also had 347 digs, 72 blocks (six solos), 36 service aces and 31 assists during her career. As a senior, she had 71 kills, 40 digs, 13 block assists, four assists and four aces.

“I am going to miss my teammates so much,” Williams said. “Damaris and I, along with the other women that started with us, grew to be very close. I could talk forever about them. There was nothing like playing in front of a crowd with your best friends. We stayed together to not only make the team better, but we did it because we wanted to stay together.”

While Williams was a good volleyball player, she was an exceptional student. The daughter of Tom and Jill Williams, of Stockton, earned a degree in exercise science with a concentration on physical therapy. For her work in the classroom, she was named to the Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Academic Team three times. She was also on the dean’s list five times.

She is currently a head trainer/head coach at Q-Town Cross Fit in Quincy.

“I picked a school that was great for me, academically, athletically and socially,” Williams said. “When someone is picking a school, they need to make sure that it is a good fit in those three aspects. I needed a balance, and I could not have picked better.”

To suggest former NUIC or Freeport Pretzel athletes for a college profile story, email Daniel Chamness at Dan62801@aol.com and put Freeport Journal-Standard in the subject line.